Mentalrobics™

You exercise your body to stay physically in shape, so why shouldn't you exercise your brain to stay mentally fit? With these daily exercises you will learn how to flex your mind, improve your creativity and boost your memory. As with any exercise, repetition is necessary for you to see improvement, so pick your favorite exercises from our daily suggestions and repeat them as desired. Try to do some mentalrobics every single day!

A recent study by the Australian National University tested peoples' problem solving abilities while standing up and lying down. They found that people were slightly better at solving problems while in a horizontal position.

This difference in cognitive ability may come from the varied release of a neurotransmitter called noradrenaline, which is believed to interfere with creative thinking. When you are lying down, your body releases less noradrenaline.

So, if you need to do some serious thinking, lying down may slightly boost your performance.

One way to remember a date is to consciously link it to a date or fact that you already know. For example, you could remember someone's birthday by remembering that it is exactly two months and two days after your birthday. There are many dates (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries) that you already know, and it is very easy to link new dates to these using simple mathematics. The linking method works for two reasons. First, it associates a date with another date that you will never forget (for example, your own birthday!). Second, simply figuring out the association will keep you thinking about the date long enough for it to get into your long term memory.

You can also link dates to important facts. For example, if your sports buddy has a birthday on April 9th, you could remember that April 9 is 4/9 which is the 49ers -- San Francisco's football team.

If you ever feel like your brain is cluttered because you have so many little tasks to do and you don't know what to do next, try this simple technique.

First, make a list of every single little thing that you need to do. Be sure that this list is complete and only contains the little things. Big projects should be left off the list. Now, start at the top of your list and complete each task one by one in a continuous unbroken stream of focused energy. By fusing all these small things into one single chunk of time you can quickly get everything done and out of your mind. This will allow you to focus your full attention on a bigger task, or to have a relaxing weekend knowing that all your chores are out of the way.